The present invention relates to seals with improved frictional behavior and, more particularly, to a seal having a load-bearing surface whose load-carrying capacity is improved by the presence of micropores.
It is well known from the theory of hydrodynamic lubrication that when two parallel surfaces, separated by a lubricating film, slide at some relative speed with respect to each other, no hydrodynamic pressure, and hence no separating force, can be generated in the lubricating film. The mechanism for hydrodynamic pressure buildup requires a converging film thickness in the direction of sliding. In conventional applications, this often is obtained by some form of misalignment or eccentricity between the sliding surfaces, for example, hydrodynamic thrust and journal bearings.
For liquid lubricants, the macrosurface structure, particularly in the form of waviness on the sliding surfaces, has been studied in the past for both parallel face thrust bearings and mechanical seals. The load carrying capacity in these cases is due to an asymmetric hydrodynamic pressure distribution over the wavy surface. The pressure increase in the converging film regions is much larger than the pressure drop in the diverging film regions. This is because the pressure drop is bounded from below by cavitation, whereas the pressure increase has effectively no upper limit. Microsurface structure in the form of protruding microasperities on the sliding surfaces also can be used to generate a locally asymmetric pressure distribution with local cavitation. The integrated effect of these microasperities can be useful in producing separating force between parallel sliding surfaces. Asymmetric pressure distribution also can be obtained by depressed surface structures, and various forms of grooves are used in bearings and mechanical seals. See, for example, T. W. Lai, xe2x80x9cDevelopment of Non-Contacting, Non-Leaking Spiral Groove Liquid Face Seals, Lubr. Eng., vol. 50, pp. 625-640 (1994).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,080 to Etsion et al. discloses a method for designing bearings, of improved performance, the load-bearing surfaces of which feature micropores. The hydrodynamic pressure distribution of a suite of bearing surfaces with different micropore geometries and densities is modeled numerically. The load-bearing surfaces of the bearings are fabricated with micropores having the optimal density and geometry determined by the numerical modeling. Substantially conical micropores may be created by single laser pulses, with the pore size and shape controlled by controlling the laser beam profile, the laser beam power, and the optical parameters of the focusing system.
A microsurface structure in the form of micropores has several advantages over other microsurface structures, particularly those involving protruding structures, in moving load-bearing surfaces. These advantages include:
1. Ease of manufacturing.
2. The ability to optimize pore size, shape, and distribution using theoretical models.
3. Good sealing capability in stationary (static) conditions.
4. Providing microreservoirs for lubricant under starved lubrication conditions, for example, at startup and after lubricant loss.
Although hydrodynamic gas seals operate on essentially the same principles as hydrodynamic liquid seals, the well-known and well-characterized differences in the physical properties of the lubricants lead to different design and operating principles. The more substantial differences in physical properties include:
1. Pressure Distribution
In an incompressible fluid, a full converging-diverging film has pressures that are greater than ambient and pressures that are less than ambient. In a highly compressible gas film, however, the pressure may always be greater than ambient. The hydrodynamic pressure of an incompressible film is independent of the ambient pressure, hence, the absolute pressure can be determined by summing the pressure rise and the ambient pressure. The hydrodynamic pressure of a compressible film, on the other hand, is dependent on the ambient pressure.
2. Variable Density
Because gases are compressible, density must be treated as a variable to prevent significant error in modeling and performance. This significantly complicates the modeling mathematics and influences the behavior of the seal.
3. Dimensional Accuracy
Films in gas bearings tend to be appreciably thinner than in liquid (incompressible) lubrication, such that the minimum film thickness may be of the same order of magnitude as the surface roughness of the bearing surfaces.
4. Heat Transfer
In gas-lubricated seals, gas, rather than liquid, is used to cool and lubricate the seal faces. Characteristically, the heat capacities of gases are significantly lower than the heat capacities of liquids. Consequently, gas seals are much less suitable for removing heat generated at the seal faces.
5. Viscosity
Unlike incompressible fluids, in which the viscosity decreases with increasing temperature, the viscosity of compressible fluids tends to increase with increasing temperature.
The differences in the physical properties of compressible and incompressible lubricants are so substantial that the development of noncontacting, gas-lubricated seals for pumps, compressors, etc., has been described by Netzel (Lubrication Engineering, pp. 36-41, May 1999) as the most significant development in the field of sealing technology in the 20th century. Moreover, the principles for designing such gas-lubricated seals differ from those of their liquid-lubricated seal counterparts.
The most efficient design element of the prior art is the spiral groove seal face. Upon rotation of the shaft, pressure is built in each spiral groove. The hydrodynamic lift achieved separates the seal faces and allows the passage of gas across the seal face.
It must be emphasized that the spiral groove seal is subject to various operating problems, including low NPSH (net positive suction head) operation and mechanical problems that result in the loss of seal flush and other tribological problems at the seal faces. Moreover, the circumferential region with the spiral grooves substantially enlarges the width of the annular region of the seal relative to the width of comparable seals for liquid systems, thereby increasing the material and fabrication costs.
To date, the use of micropore technology as a means of providing hydrodynamic lift has been limited almost exclusively to liquid-lubricated seals. Although modeling of gas-lubricated hydrodynamic bearings having micropores was indicated by PCT Application No. US97/16764 to Etsion et al., which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein, and an air bearing at atmospheric-pressure having improved lift was disclosed, there has been little reason to think that the utilization of micropore hydrodynamic lift technology would provide lift of a magnitude of practical importance for most applications having gas-lubricated hydrodynamic seals, particularly in view of the above-described, marked differences in physical properties of compressible and incompressible lubricants and the resulting requisite differences in design of the seal. Moreover, as described below, the mating seal surfaces of the prior artxe2x80x94including those of PCT Application No. US97/16764xe2x80x94are complicated and costly to fabricate.
It must be emphasized that the hydrodynamic lift provided in liquid systems is based on the incompressibility of the liquid. Whereas the minimum pressure in the diverging region is limited by cavitation, the maximum pressure in the converging region is unlimited. It is this asymmetric behavior of the pressure curve that causes hydrodynamic lift. For this reason, the use of micropores for promoting hydrodynamic lift is most efficient for low-pressure systems. In high-pressure systems, the potential for pressure drop in the diverging region reduces the overall effect of the hydrodynamic lift.
Thus, because the hydrodynamic lift provided in liquid systems is related primarily to the cavitation property of the liquid, and because by definition, gases do not cavitate, there has been little reason to think that micropore technology would be suitable and advantageous for gas seals, that, unlike the hard-disk application, require appreciable separating forces.
Hence, the design of hydrodynamic gas-lubricated seals, to date, has focused primarily on spiral-groove technology and other conventional technologies that are known to be suitable for gas systems.
One of the main features of hydrodynamic, gas-lubricated seals is that the gas pressure is instrumental in separating the faces and avoiding excess wear due to contacting. In conventional shaft seal systems for industrial gas turbines and the like, the main shaft seal is kept close to the shaft by the pressure difference across the seal, with the high pressure being applied radially beyond the seal. If the pressure gradient is too high, the seal is forced against the shaft. To reduce the magnitude of this problem, conventional shaft seals are sometimes designed with lifting devices on the inside faces that generate hydrodynamic lift and reduce wear resulting from contact pressures.
The fashioning of an annular gas seal with an inner radial surface that converges with the surface of the shaft is complicated and expensive, particularly in view of the dimensional accuracy required for gas systems.
Main shaft gas seals are of prime importance in aircraft engines. As with industrial gas turbines, both seal longevity and low-pressure performance limitations are currently of major concern in the design and operation of main shaft seals for aircraft engines.
Two main types of seals are used in aircraft main shaft seal applications. Circumferential seals are used most frequently in low pressure applications and face seals are used in higher pressure applications, The purposes of these bearing sump seals are to keep the hot gases out of the bearing sump, to contain the bearing cooling oil in the bearing sump chamber, and to keep particulates away from the bearing.
The circumferential seal consists of a metallic housing mounted to the stationary frame of the engine. Internal to the housing is a carbon ring consisting of multiple segments, which is held as a ring by a circumferential garter spring. The bore of the carbon ring rubs against a hardcoated sleeve on the rotating shaft, creating a barrier to leakage. The carbon ring also creates a static seal with the seal housing.
Face seals consist of a metallic holder mounted to the stationary frame of the engine. A solid carbon ring, usually shrunk into a metallic band, is held by the holder against rotation. Compression springs, axially mounted between the holder and the carbon ring, push the carbon ring axially against a rotating shoulder or mating ring mounted on the shaft. The mating ring is usually hardcoated to minimize wear. A static seal located at the interface between the carbon ring and the holder prevents leakage between these two components.
Contact between the shaft sleeve (or mating ring) and carbon seal ring causes wear of their surfaces which, over time, deteriorates the sealing capability. This wear problem is more severe at higher gas pressures due to increases in contact pressure between the seal mating surfaces. Due to the excessive wear in these designs under many conditions, non-contacting types of seals such as labyrinth seals and face seals with special lift geometries are being used in place of contacting seals. However, labyrinth seals provide poor sealing and the cost of these lift geometries on seal surfaces is high.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a gas-lubricated hydrodynamic seal that would be of simple design, easy to manufacture, and more efficient, robust and economical than heretofore known.
As taught by Mxc3xcller (xe2x80x9cFace Seals: Hydrostatic and Hydrodynamicxe2x80x9d, ASLE Education Course on Fluid Film Sealing, 1972), a stable separation of the hydrodynamic seal faces is obtained by active hydrodynamic pressure generation between the faces. The magnitude of separating forces generated, and hence the efficacy of the hydrodynamic sealing, depends inherently on surface speed and viscosity. More specifically, these properties provide the physical basis for hydrodynamic seals having micropores, as is evident from the general form of the one-dimensional Reynolds equation,             ∂              ∂        x              ⁢          (              ρ        ·                  h          3                ·                              ∂            P                                ∂            x                              )        =            6      ·      μ      ·      v        ⁢                  ∂                  (                      ρ            ·            h                    )                            ∂        x            
wherein:
P is the hydrodynamic pressure;
xcfx81 is the fluid density; xcfx81 is the fluid density;
h is the local film thickness;
xcexc is the fluid viscosity
xcexd is the sliding velocity in the x direction
As mentioned above, U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,080 to Etsion et al. discloses a method for designing bearings, of improved performance, the load-bearing surfaces of which feature micropores. The term xe2x80x9cbearingxe2x80x9d as defined therein, includes all systems with surfaces in contact that bear loads and move relative to each other, for example, reciprocating systems such as pistons, and not just bearings per se.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,100 to Etsion discloses a method for designing bearings of improved performance, the load-bearing surfaces of which feature micropores. The micropores are 2 to 10 microns deep and preferably have an aspect ratio on the order of 7 to 20. According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,100, the inventive method xe2x80x9cis based on modeling a hydrodynamic pressure distribution, and therefore applies only to lubricated load-bearing surfaces in motion relative to each otherxe2x80x9d.
Hydrostatic seals (gas and liquid) are clearly distinguished from hydrodynamic seals (gas and liquid) in that the separation forces are generated by pressure differential and not by surface speed and viscosity. It is only natural, therefore, that the above-mentioned patents limit themselves to lubricated load-bearing surfaces in motion relative to each other, i.e., to hydrodynamic applications.
Moreover, it is known that with hydrodynamic liquid seals having micropores, the performance becomes increasingly impaired with increasing operating pressure, because the pressure curve over the diverging and converging regions of the micropore becomes considerably less asymmetric due to the larger pressure drop in the diverging region. As a result, the hydrodynamic lift provided by the micropores can become substantially negligible at pressures above about 15 atmospheres.
By sharp contrast, in hydrostatic seals the hydrostatic lift is independent of the relative motion between seal faces. Moreover, viscosity is unimportant in hydrostatic seals, as the dynamic term in the Reynolds equation vanishes. The face separation is governed by the hydrostatic pressure profile along the mating faces. Perhaps most significantly, hydrostatic seals operate in the pressure range of 5-200 atmospheres and more typically in the range of 10-100 atmospheres, wherein hydrodynamic lubrication is less effective, and wherein micropore technology is known to be particularly ineffective.
In addition to hydrostatic liquid seals, hydrostatic gas seals are also common. As described above, the efficacy of micropore technology has been known only for liquid hydrodynamic systems, which utilize incompressible liquids with medium-to-high viscosities. The successful application of micropore technology to seals that are both hydrostatic and gas-lubricated would be particularly surprising, because gases are characterized by high compressibility and low viscosity, both of which impair hydrodynamic lift.
It would be highly advantageous to have liquid and gas hydrostatic seals that are based on or enhanced with micropore technology, such that the known features of micropore-based hydrodynamic sealsxe2x80x94simple design, ease of fabrication, superior hydrodynamic lift and reduced wear, reliability and economyxe2x80x94could be imparted to hydrostatic seals.
It is an object of the present invention to provide hydrodynamic and hydrostatic seals having faces that are simpler and less expensive to fabricate than existing converging-face technologies, yet enable and provide adequate lift.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hydrodynamic gas-lubricated seal that provides superior hydrodynamic lift relative to prior-art seals, thereby reducing wear resulting from contact pressures and increasing the useful life of the seal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hydrodynamic, grooveless gas-lubricated seal that is more compact, and easier and less expensive to fabricate relative to seals of prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a main shaft gas seal system with enhanced hydrodynamic lift, such that seal longevity is significantly increased, without compromising sealing capability.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a main shaft gas seal system that is simple and economical relative to existing systems, including labyrinth and other non-contacting seal systems.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hydrostatic seal, lubricated by gas and/or liquid, that is more compact, and easier and less expensive to fabricate relative to hydrostatic seals of prior art.
According to the present invention there is provided a lubricated hydrostatic seal comprising (a) two surface regions having opposing surfaces; (b) a plurality of micropores in one or more of said surfaces having a pore geometry; and (c) a pressure-induced flow of fluid between said surfaces, wherein said pressure-induced flow of fluid past said micropores provides a lifting force between the surfaces.
In a preferred embodiment, the fluid is a gas. In another preferred embodiment, the fluid is a liquid.
In sharp contrast with known face seals, which are characterized by converging surfaces (including stepped surfaces), I have discovered that the use of micropore technology allows the opposing surfaces of such seals to be nominally parallel. The fabrication of nominally-parallel surfaces is more simple and considerably less expensive than the fabrication of angled and/or stepped surfaces. The design and fabrication of nominally-parallel seal surfaces can be applied to a wide variety of seals and bearings having micropores, including liquid-lubricated and gas-lubricated hydrodynamic seals, as well as hydrostatic seals.
Whereas piston and cylinder systems of the known art typically require an axially non-uniform clearance between the radial surface region of the piston or piston ring and the cylinder lining, the present invention allows the use of a simple and easy to fabricate surface that is nominally parallel. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a lubricated hydrodynamic seal comprising: (a) a cylinder having an inner surface region, the inner surface region having a first surface; (b) a piston unit positioned inside the cylinder and having a radial surface region, the radial surface region having a second surface; (c) a plurality of micropores in one or more of the surfaces having a pore geometry; and (d) a fluid situated between the first surface and second surface, wherein the fluid flows past the micropores, thereby generating a lifting force between the surfaces, and wherein the first surface and the second surface are nominally parallel.
In a preferred embodiment, the micropores on the piston unit and/or cylinder lining are between about 3 microns and about 15 microns deep. More preferably, the micropores range between about 5 microns and about 10 microns deep.
In another preferred embodiment, the micropores cover between about 5% and about 30%, by area, of the surface. More preferably, the micropores cover between about 10% and about 20%, by area, of the surface.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the piston unit further includes at least one piston ring, and wherein the surface on the radial surface region is a piston ring surface. In addition to having micropores on the piston rings, the radial surface of the piston can be covered with micropores. This enhances the lift and provides other advantages that are described in greater detail below.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the pore geometry of the first surface and the pore geometry of the second surface are optimized for conditions selected from the group consisting of hydrodynamic load bearing conditions, starved lubrication conditions, or both of the above.
According to the present invention there is provided a hydrodynamic gas seal comprising: (a) two surface regions having opposing surfaces; (b) a plurality of micropores in at least one of the surfaces, the plurality of micropores having a pore geometry; and (c) a gas located between the surfaces, wherein the gas is induced to flow past the micropores by the relative movement of the surfaces, thereby generating a lifting force between the opposing surfaces, and wherein the opposing surfaces are nominally parallel.
The micropores, applied to one of the mating surfaces of the seal, act as micro-hydrodynamic bearings, providing a surprisingly powerful and beneficial hydrodynamic lift that inhibits or appreciably reduces contacting between conforming faces and substantially reduces friction and wear.
The pore geometry is parameterized by a depth hp and a diameter D, and wherein hp/D ranges preferably from 0.002-0.05, and more preferably from 0.005-0.02.
In a preferred embodiment, the pore geometry is substantially rotationally symmetric.
In another preferred embodiment, the micropores are dispersed on the surface in a substantially uniform manner. Preferably, the micropores cover between 15-45% by area of the surface, and more preferably, the micropores cover between 20-30 by area % of the surface.
In a preferred embodiment, the micropores on the surface of the hydrodynamic gas seal are at least about 100-150 microns in diameter. Preferably, the micropores should be about 1-3 microns deep.
In a preferred embodiment, the micropores are fashioned in between the lifting devices (spiral grooves, Raleigh steps, etc.) of gas-lubricated face seals of the prior art, such that the hydrodynamic lift of such seals is enhanced and the useful life of these seals is improved. Enhanced hydrodynamic lift can also be provided by fashioning micropores on the surface of the sealing dam.
In another preferred embodiment, the opposing, nominally parallel surfaces of the surface regions are radially conforming. Such a configuration is particularly appropriate for gas-lubricated circumferential shaft seals.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the seal according to the present invention is a hybrid seal that provides both hydrodynamic and hydrostatic lift. At high relative speeds, lift is generated both by hydrodynamic separating forces and by hydrostatic separating forces. At low relative speeds, the hydrodynamic component of the lift becomes negligible, however, hydrostatic lift is based on pressure differential along the sealing gap and is substantially unaffected. The lubricated hybrid seal comprises: (a) two surface regions having opposing surfaces, the opposing surfaces having relative movement to one another; (b) a plurality of micropores in one or more of the opposing surfaces having a pore geometry; and (c) a fluid situated between the opposing surfaces, wherein the fluid is induced to flow by the relative movement of the opposing surfaces past the micropores and by pressure differential along the opposing surfaces, such that a lifting force between the opposing surfaces is provided.
In a preferred embodiment, the use of micropores allows the opposing surfaces of the hybrid seal surface regions to be nominally parallel.
In a preferred embodiment, the hybrid seal is lubricated by gas. In another preferred embodiment, the hybrid seal is lubricated by liquid.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the respective pore geometries are optimized for hydrostatic lift and for hydrodynamic lift.
As used herein in the specification and claims section below, the term xe2x80x9csealxe2x80x9d includes all systems with surfaces in contact that bear loads, including bearings.
As used herein in the specification and claims section below, the term xe2x80x9cnominally parallelxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnominally parallel surfacesxe2x80x9d refers to surfaces whose macroscopic contours are substantially parallel. One example of such nominally parallel surfaces is flat plates having surfaces positioned in a parallel fashion. Another example is a ring encompassing an axis, wherein the ring has an inner surface parallel to the radial surface of the axis. This surface geometry is known more specifically as xe2x80x9cradially-conformingxe2x80x9d.